


Ocean's Tail

by Cherry101



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Fluff, Implied Relationships, Katsuki Yuuri and Victor Nikiforov are Yuri Plisetsky's Parents, M/M, Mermaids, Viktor is Yuri's dad, Yuuri is the mermaid prince, but seriously, implied otayuri, implied viktuuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 06:21:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12126414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherry101/pseuds/Cherry101
Summary: It was only when he had managed to fully sit up that he realized something very, very crucial.The three people in front of him didn't have legs.They were in water.Mermaids?They don't exist!~~~~~~~~Or, when Yuri Plisetsky-Nikiforov falls into the ocean, he's saved by prince Yuuri Katsuki. His father is unamused.





	Ocean's Tail

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the most viktuuri-centric I've written since Silence After The Shot. Ahahaha... 
> 
> So, I have this fic that I promised Lin a month ago, and it's almost finished! I promise! Be on the look out for it! It's super fluffy... And long... *Cries*
> 
> Anyways! This has been in the makings for a couple months, and I finally finished it! I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> ((Please comment))

The ocean.

 

Tossing, turning, crashing.

 

Rain.

 

Pouring down in buckets, capsizing, terrifying. 

 

A voice.

 

_ “Yuri!!!” _

 

Who was that…?

 

He was falling, falling.

 

He loved water, normally. He was always begging his Papa to take him to the ocean, loving the feel of warm sand between his toes, his long hair swaying in the breeze. 

 

Never had he realized that his favorite place could be  _ like  _ **_this._ **

 

He couldn't breathe.

 

He was falling, falling deep into the water he loved so much.

 

Hands grasped at nothing. Flailed. 

 

Bubbles trailed from his gaping mouth all the way up to a surface he couldn't see.

 

He kicked. It didn't work.

 

His vision was spiraling, fogging, blackening with the lack of air.

 

The last thing Yuri remembered seeing was a pair of brown eyes.

 

Darkness.

 

~~~~~~~

 

He was flying into a golden sunset of reds and oranges. Floating. Swimming.

 

The mirage of colors were within his grasp, but he couldn't reach them.

 

He didn't really want to reach them.

 

And, yet, his fingers reached out, stretched towards the yellows-

 

Everything shifted to black.

 

A voice.

 

“Hey, I think he's waking up!”

 

_ What? _

 

_ Where am I? _

 

_ What happened? _

 

There was a force pressing against his eyelids, keeping them closed.

 

He fought to open them.

 

When he did, though, he was greeted with three pairs of eyes.

 

The first was the face of an older woman. She had honey brown eyes and wavy brown hair, a warm smile.

 

The second had darker black hair, but the same brown eyes.

 

The third was too far out of his line of vision. 

 

“What…?” 

 

The woman clapped her hands, the sound resonating through Yuri's skull, “Hello, dear, I'm so glad you're awake.”

 

Yuri groaned, and he urged his unwilling body to sit up.

 

“Be careful~”

 

It was only when he had managed to fully sit up that he realized something very, very crucial.

 

The three people in front of him didn't have legs.

 

They were in water.

 

_ Mermaids? _

 

_ They don't exist! _

 

Then, Yuri glanced down.

 

And he shrieked.

 

Because in the place of legs, the thirteen year old had a sleek, shimmery, bright green tail.

 

“I… what…?”

 

The woman-mermaid swam forward, taking his arm in what was probably supposed to be a comfort gesture.

 

“You were dying, sweetheart,” she said honestly, “My Yuuri barely managed to save you, but, to do so, he had to partially turn you.”

 

A million questions whirred through Yuri's mind. He couldn't pick from one.

 

“Are you afraid?” Asked the black haired boy, his deep blue tail flicking in what Yuri guessed was anxiety.

 

He shook his head, “No, I'm not, just…” 

 

The woman chuckled softly, “Yuuri, dear, it's alright, he's just shaken. How would you feel if a human rescued you by giving you legs?”

 

_ Yuuri? _

 

_ Do we have the same name or something? _

 

“I guess I'd be pretty startled,” Yuuri admitted, and he turned back to Yuri with a friendly smile, “Hello. My name is Yuuri. What's yours?”

 

Yuri had to bite back a bitter remark, forcing himself to be polite, because even if he hated having that glittery green thing instead of legs, he was alive.

 

“Yuri. My name is Yuri Plisetsky-Nikiforov.” He muttered eventually, when he could trust himself to say something nice.

 

Both Yuuri and the woman laughed - probably because of the similar names - and the woman smiled at him, “How nice. I am Hiroko, Yuuri's mother.” 

 

Well, that explained the resemblance between them. 

 

Yuri couldn't meet Hiroko’s gaze - not really - so he forced himself to look around.

 

They were inside what appeared to be a room, with pale bronze-colored walls and a wide hole where a door would lay. Inside the room was nothing but a bed of seaweed(which he was laying on), a gleaming mirror, and a small rock, perched in front of the mirror.

 

“Where am I?” He wondered aloud, blinking repeatedly. Unlike other times he went swimming, the water didn't sting at his eyes - something which he attributed to the fact that he was  _ a freaking  _ **_mermaid._ **

 

“My palace. It’s the one place nobody will question you.” Hiroko answered, all the while smiling at him as if he were her son.

 

Wait…

 

“Palace?” Yuri felt as if all he was doing was asking questions. 

 

Yuuri and Hiroko both laughed, looking so similar in the moment that Yuri had to do a double take.

 

“Yes, palace. My mom's the Queen of our kind.” Yuuri flicked his fin.

 

Yuri glanced down at his own, and he frowned. 

 

“Listen… as much as I would love to stay here and chat-” the words were spoken sarcastically, “-my Papa's probably worried sick about me, and… I really appreciate you guys saving my life, but did you expect me to just stay here?”

 

Both Yuuri and Hiroko blinked.

 

“Well…” Hiroko started, “As soon as you go onto land, your tail  _ will  _ transform back into legs. You don't have to worry about that, dear.”

 

“And,” Yuuri interrupted, “I highly doubt your Papa would be… accepting. If - and only if - you want, I could, I don't know, go up, find him, talk to him, while you stay down here, and learn to swim?” 

 

The weight of Yuuri's offer seemed to steep in, like a teabag in a hot cup of tea. Yuri didn't know what to think.

 

_ On one hand,  _ he was as obsessed with the ocean as he was skating, and being able to swim without fear of drowning was tempting…

 

_ On the other,  _ his Papa, the one and only Viktor Nikiforov, loved him and probably was freaking out-

 

_ And stars above, he probably thinks I'm dead.  _

 

_...Fucking hell. _

 

As if reading his mind or something, Yuuri placed a hand on his shoulder, “It'll be alright. Just… give me a description, and a name. I'll do all the talking, alright? In the meantime, Otabek can teach you how to swim properly.”

 

It was then that the third mermaid in the room - who Yuri had completely forgotten about - swam forward. Intense brown eyes focused on his, and the mermaid(merman?) cleared his throat, “If Your Majesty wishes me to teach him, I will do so gladly.”

 

Yuuri sighed, “I thought I asked you to stop calling me that, Otabek. Anyways… Yuri, this is Otabek. He's one of the staff here, but I trust him to take care of you. He’ll be your personal guide, now. This-” he gestured to the room, “-is your room. Now… I'm going to need a description.”

 

“Are you sure about this, Yuuri?” Hiroko asked, and Yuri was almost glad she did, because wow, Yuuri was being awfully friendly for someone he  _ just met _ .

 

Nevertheless, he cleared his throat, “Yeah, alright. Um… my Papa's name is Viktor Nikiforov. I'm adopted - I have his last name and my original. He's pretty well-known in my world… oh, and he has silver hair and blue eyes. I don't know if you'd even see him, but…” 

 

“It's enough,” Yuuri promised, moving his comforting hand from Yuri's shoulder down to his hands, “All you have to do is stay here, okay? I'll be fine - and we'll reunite you with your Papa.” 

 

He said the words with so much sincerity that Yuri almost believed him. 

 

However, before he could speak up, Yuuri had turned, releasing Yuri’s hands and taking the hands of his mother.

 

The two swam out of his room, and, all of a sudden, it was just Yuri and Otabek, and stars, he felt awkward.

 

“So…”

 

Otabek had a neutral expression on his face, his tail sparkling gold, brighter than any gold Yuri had ever seen. 

 

The merman stuck out his hand, “Well, are you going to swim with me, or not?”

 

It was such a strange request, yet, there was something about the darker-skinned being that intrigued Yuri. He wasn't sure what it was. Some sort of inner intuition, maybe. Or, maybe, it was the fact that he seemed much younger than Yuuri - closer to Yuri’s own age.

 

Whatever it was, it was enough for Yuri to push off the seaweed bed, flicking his tail experimentally. It was… strange, disconcerting, much different than walking for sure, but he didn’t really mind it. 

 

“Whatever,” He finally huffed in reply, flicking his tail again to keep himself upright in the watery room, “Lead the way.”

 

~~~~~

 

To say Yuuri was nervous was an understatement. 

 

He had only been to the surface a few times - each time out of curiosity, not desire - and he really,  _ really  _ didn’t want to go back. 

 

However…

 

When Yuuri had seen the human child floating down, his body already limp with a definite lack of oxygen, it was as if something within him had broken. He had seen dead humans before; it was inevitable, with the storms that plagued the waters and the human need to be on the ocean. 

 

But he had never before seen a child. And, to his fortune, the child was alive still - barely breathing, but alive.

 

As a member of the royal family, Yuuri had the ability to grant a tail to a human in need. It was a trait that kept the merfolk and humans at peace - and one that typically was not used in ordinary situations. 

 

But Yuuri couldn’t resist helping the poor, defenseless child.

 

And maybe it was because he had been the one to transform Yuri, but Yuuri now felt a strong bond to the Ryba(the name given to any human-merfolk hybrids).

 

A bond strong enough to lead Yuuri to the surface, in search for a human he had never met. 

 

Yuuri swam forward, keeping only his head out of the water, just enough so he could see. The skies were a murky gray, the air thick with condensed water - which made it easier to stay on the surface - and he doubted that any human would be out and about. 

 

He was wrong.

 

Walking along the beach was probably the most beautiful human Yuuri had ever seen.

 

He had shiny silver hair, windswept in the ocean air. A pair of eyes that rivaled the sea in color - sad, sad eyes that seemed lost. Pale skin.

 

He matched Yuri’s description perfectly.

 

“Wow…” Yuuri whispered, pushing himself forward more, getting closer to the stunning human being.

 

The human had tears in his eyes, and he gazed out into the water, far past where Yuuri was hovering. 

 

_ Okay Yuuri. You can do this. Just… swim up to him. Pretend he’s not there. You can do this. For Yuri. _

 

Before he could turn around, Yuuri inhaled and he swam closer, navigating himself to the shoreline, where a few rare beams of sunlight hit the sand. 

 

_ Perfect. I can say I’m sunning myself. Not attracted to him at all, nope. _

 

In fact, as soon as Yuuri actually reached the sand, using his arms to slide up out of the water, he had convinced his mind that the human wasn’t actually there.

 

He did, at least, until the human released a loud gasp.

 

Yuuri turned his head. He had to act realistically - and what would a mermaid such as himself do in such a situation if it  _ hadn’t been purposeful? _

 

_ Freak out. _

 

He gasped loudly, mouth opening and closing in feigned shock as he scrambled backwards, hoping that panic was written across his features.

 

The human held out his hands, shaking them frantically, “No, no, it’s okay! It’s… Stay!”

 

It was actually rather humorous, watching the human struggle to regain a sense of normalcy. 

 

“I won’t hurt you,” The human continued, taking a step closer with fascination in the pools that were his eyes, “I’m just… are you a mermaid?”

 

Yuuri forced himself to take deep breaths, mimicking what he would do if he were in this situation accidentally.

 

“Yeah… you’re not… afraid of me, are you?” He finally asked, his own voice coming out soft. 

 

Yuuri watched the human shake his head, his lips pressing in a hinted smile, “No… I’m not. I’m Viktor, what’s your name?”

 

Viktor. So this was Yuri’s dad. Briefly, Yuuri wondered what he was doing near the ocean - after all, he probably thought he lost his son to the unforgiving waves of the sea - but he didn’t linger on the thought for too long. 

 

“I’m Yuuri.”

 

Yuuri watched the way Viktor’s face crumpled - right, he and Yuri shared a name, that had to bring back bad memories - and he forced himself to look questioning.

 

“Did I say something wrong?” 

 

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just…” Viktor visibly took a breath, his eyes fixating on Yuuri, “That was my son’s name. Yuri.” 

 

“What a coincidence,” Yuuri chuckled nervously, crossing his arms as the salty wind blew into his face, sending shivers down his spine. 

 

Viktor chuckled as well, but he didn’t sound happy at all. In fact, the chuckles seemed to turn into quiet, strangled sobs, and the man looked down at the beach.

 

_ Viktor thinks his son is dead,  _ Yuuri reminded himself,  _ I have to act accordingly.  _

 

What he  _ needed  _ to do was somehow talk to Viktor about Yuri - he needed to find a way to let the human know that his son was actually still very much alive, hidden far below the surface. 

 

_ Why did I sign up for this…? _

 

“What’s your son like?” Yuuri asked curiously, or at least faking curiosity. He didn’t get to see very much of the blonde Ryba - not enough to gain a good grasp on the child’s personality. 

 

Viktor looked up, out towards the sea, “Rambunctious. He was loud, always angry, always yelling about one thing or another. But… he cared. His heart was so big… he just hid it well. He loved the ocean, too. Everything about it - he was always begging me to go swimming, or to take him to see the fish.” The silver-haired human rubbed at his eyes, “I’m sorry. I’m rambling.” 

 

“No, no, you’re fine.” Yuuri assured, swallowing, “Did something happen to him?” 

 

Viktor’s face crumpled again, and those gorgeous blue eyes reflected the sorrow he must’ve felt, “He… he drowned, yesterday. I… I actually came out here to say goodbye. To him.” 

 

“He didn’t drown.” Yuuri blurted, and he immediately regretted it. Sure, he had been planning on telling Viktor that he saved the man’s son(eventually) but… not like this. It was too soon. Oh well. He can’t turn back time or anything. 

 

Viktor looked at him, his gaze incredulous, “What do you mean?” 

 

Yuuri took a deep breath(not that he needed it), “...Viktor Nikiforov, right?” 

 

The man stared, and then nodded, obviously confused. 

 

“I… I found your son, yesterday, after he fell. There wasn’t much I could do to help him, but I did what I could… I may have transformed him into a Ryba.”

 

“Into a  _ what  _ now?” 

 

Right. Ryba is only a mer term - the humans don’t use it. “A Ryba. Or… a half-human, half-merfolk.” 

 

Viktor was still staring, and Yuuri found he couldn’t meet that expressive gaze. Not right now. 

 

“You mean to say… You saved my Yuri?” 

 

A nod.

 

Suddenly, warm, human arms wrapped around his upper chest and shoulders, and Viktor was sobbing again - but more out of gratitude than sadness.

 

“Thank you,  _ spasibo,  _ thank you-” He rambled, squeezing the merfolk prince tightly before releasing him. 

 

“Really, it was my pleasure. Uh, I mean, I didn’t mind. I couldn’t have just let him drown.” Yuuri awkwardly explained, gripping the rock he was sitting on tightly. 

 

Now that the silver-haired man had pulled back, he gripped his hair, staring off into space blankly again, “Mermaids exist. My son was rescued by a mermaid.”

 

“Merman, actually.” 

 

“I can’t believe this is real. Am I dreaming?” 

 

“You’re not dreaming.” Yuuri laughed at that, watching the man before him lighten up drastically. 

 

“Then… can I see him? My Yura?” 

 

Yuuri opened his mouth, then closed it again. Of course he wanted Viktor to see his son again - it would be horrible to refuse such a request - but Yuri was in no shape to go much further than the palace. Plus, the little blonde Ryba probably hadn’t quite learned how to use a tail yet - meaning that even if he wanted to return to the surface, he couldn’t. 

 

That left two solutions. One, have Viktor wait a couple of days until Yuri was strong enough to return(which would be awfully cruel) or take Viktor underwater. 

 

Taking a human underwater without transforming them was possible… but rare. It required a kiss, which was why Yuuri hadn’t merely just given Yuri oxygen. The kiss had to be real - a real want, a real desire - and it had to be consensual with both parties. 

 

He could always transform Viktor into a Ryba as well, but… he doubted the elder man would want to. Turning Yuri had been a last minute resort - the only thing Yuuri could do to keep the blonde child alive. 

 

“Can I kiss you?” He blurted without actually meaning to, and he winced internally immediately.

 

Viktor stared at him with a wild, unrecognizable look. 

 

“What…?” 

 

Yuuri blushed, “I want to take you underwater… but to do that I’ll have to consensually kiss you.” 

 

He definitely wouldn’t mind kissing the silver-haired human - he was insanely attractive, and caring, and for some reason Yuuri really, really wanted to get to know him better. 

 

But would Viktor actively want to kiss him? 

 

_ Probably not.  _

 

He was mulling over that thought when Viktor cut into them, his voice soft, “You have my consent.” 

 

Yuuri froze, and he thought about it more. Should he? Would it be weird? Not that a human and mermaid romance was illegal - it had happened a lot more than most humans think - but did the human really like him? What?    
  


Suddenly, warm lips were on his - soft and plump and inviting and if Yuuri wasn’t convinced of the human’s beauty and appeal before, he  _ sure as hell was now.  _

 

They part after a couple seconds, Viktor panting. It was a good thing Yuuri didn’t need air - although he would need to get back into the water soon. 

 

_ Right.  _

 

Without hesitation, he grabbed Viktor’s hand - startling the male - and dove underwater, forcibly dragging Viktor with him. If too much time passed between the kiss and the initial dive, the power of it would be lost.

 

_ Not that I wouldn’t mind kissing him again.  _ Yuuri thought numbly, and he grits his teeth together, focusing more on pulling Viktor down, down, down. 

 

The human seemed to be in shock - he was holding his breath, which he didn’t need to do - and so finally Yuuri stopped, flicking his tail to keep himself in place and lightly stroking Viktor’s cheek. 

 

“Breathe. It’ll be okay.” He told the man, and finally the human released the breath he had been holding, his eyes widening as he realized he could actually breathe underwater. 

 

“Wow…” 

 

“It’s pretty neat down here, huh? The castle’s not that far away - let me lead, we’ll be there soon.” 

 

Keeping his slightly webbed fingers wrapped around Viktor’s hand, he continued to swim, this time in a horizontal direction, towards the castle. Hopefully, Yuri was acclimating to the new tail and new location well - the blonde child had seemed to be in a state of shock for their entire conversation. Of course he was.  _ It’s not every day you drown, and then wake up with a tail and three merfolk watching you.  _

 

After minutes of calm swimming, the castle comes into view - a grand structure hidden in a cluster of coral and rocks so that prying human eyes wouldn’t find it. A single passageway at the bottom of the lowest rock is the only entrance. 

 

Yuuri pulled Viktor lower, and then through the entrance. 

 

He watched the human widen his eyes, almost proudly. The castle had taken so long to build - not that he remembered that process, merely heard of it - and it surely shows. The tall, spiraling arches that are actually shorter than they appear, the open corridors that lead to the multiple rooms, the gleam of gold that decorated the halls… it was magnificent, and Yuuri was sure that the human had never seen anything like it. 

 

“Wow…” Viktor repeated, the gold reflecting into his eyes and making them even more alluring, if that was even possible. 

 

Yuuri smiled smugly, “Yeah. It’s awesome. Now, let’s see where your son is. I have my personal servant, Otabek, teaching him how to swim.” 

 

Before he can leave, though, the sound of swishing echoed through the front entrance room, and Otabek swam in, followed by a clearly struggling Yuri. 

 

“I heard you had returned, Your Majesty.” The stoic merman bowed, his demeanor calm. 

 

“Papa!” Yuri exclaimed, darting forward awkwardly to wrap arms around the silver-haired man. Viktor, in return, seemed stunned - probably at the sleek green tail his son sported - but he hugged back. 

 

“Yura… My Yuratchka… I thought you were…”  Viktor trailed off then, but it was clear what he meant - his hand was burying itself in Yuri’s hair, and the human looked as though he were about to start crying. 

 

Yuri pulled back, his expression startlingly mature for such a small child, “I’m sorry for worrying you.” He sounded sincere. 

 

Viktor blinked - Yuuri thought he looked shocked or something, maybe Yuri had never apologized for anything before? - before offering his son a smile, rubbing at his eyes, “Oh Yuratchka, I’m just glad you’re alright.” 

 

“I’m a merman.”

 

“Half-merman,” Yuuri corrected, “Technically, you’re a Ryba. Once you recover enough, you’ll be able to go back on land like normal. The only difference will be that you won’t be able to immerse yourself in water without sprouting a tail again.” 

 

At the mention of land, Yuri quite visibly swallowed. The blonde looked back at Otabek - who had been completely still throughout the exchange, quiet as ever - and then back at Yuuri and Viktor.

 

“That’s the thing. I…” The child swallowed again, “...I don’t want to go back on land.” 

 

“What?” Viktor and Yuuri said at the same time - even their tones matched. 

 

“Why, Yuratchka?” 

 

“Why wouldn’t you want to go back to your home?” 

 

“I just… I feel more at home  _ here.  _ I’ve always been drawn to the water… it’s like I’m supposed to be here, or some shit.” Yuri’s hands waved as he explained, illustrating his points, “And…” He looked over at Otabek again, and his cheeks flushed red. 

 

Oh. 

 

_ Oh.  _

 

Otabek looked just as flustered - although it was nearly impossible to tell.

 

“I’m not opposed to it.” 

 

All three of them whipped around to look at Viktor, who was pretty much standing on the marbled floor at this point, his hair floating in the water, “I mean… it is nice down here. A lot less demanding. The only person I’m really, truly living for is you, Yura,” He looked at his son with fond eyes before shifting his glance back over to Yuuri, “And I wouldn’t mind getting to know you a bit more,  _ Yuuri.”  _

 

Yuuri paused, thinking about it, “...So you want me to turn you into a Ryba as well?” 

 

“Would we have a place here?” Viktor replied with a question, those eyes bearing into Yuuri’s soul, and  _ fuck,  _ Yuuri melted. 

 

“Of course you would.” 

 

“Then yes. I would love to stay down here forever. The world already thinks that Yura is dead - let them believe I died as well, I don’t care.” Viktor almost sounded bitter. 

 

Yuuri couldn’t believe this was happening. One minute, he had saved a human child’s life, and now, he was offering a home to two humans who for some odd reason wanted to stay underwater? 

 

_ And Viktor seemed to like him?  _

 

_ What?  _

 

_ Mom’s going to kill me…  _

 

Nevertheless, Yuuri placed his hands on Viktor’s, summoning that ancient power within him that came with being born into royalty. 

 

Viktor glowed - his entire body radiating light - and then, when the light faded, his legs had been changed into a sleek, magnificent blue tail that matched his eyes perfectly. 

 

Yuri clapped unironically, his eyes shining in the murky light. Beside him, Otabek had draped an arm around the blonde - Yuuri didn’t know when. 

 

Everything was going to change. 

  
  
  



End file.
